[Heart Game - Ed, Maya, Roxy]

[carptricks]

[It's dark. You're trying to move forward, but it feels like your limbs are weighed down by chains and shackles. Still, you push. You push and you pull and those chains are pulled taut and strained until suddenly--]

[Something snaps]

[You tumble forward, wind blowing past your face, until you lose awareness of anything around you. . .]

((another run ran concurrent to this one here))

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[soulping]

[FOLDS HER ARMS]

Think about whose heart you're in! Since when does Kaito-kun ever take the most direct route to things?

[fuhrinkaed]

...So I have to think like a thief, and not a mage.

...

[LETS GO LOOK AT THOSE BOXES NOW.]

[soulping]

[Chikage smiles again as you walkw away]

Hmmm, hmmmm! That might be a start.

[The crate you find is rather large and made out of some lightly colored wood. The lid is pretty secured on the top; you might need some help if you wanted to pry it open. One the side of the crate, the following words are printed in big, black and blocky letters: IMPORTANT BUT NOT FRAGILE]

[fuhrinkaed]

[Help is for people who arent epic level wizards.]

[Epic level wizards make ice crowbars en masse and pry the top open that way.]

[soulping]

[It works pretty well to pry the lid off the top of the crate. Inside, you'll find. . . a bunch of winter clothing? Jackets, coats, hats, scarves, gloves, you name it. And nestled on top of that bundle of clothing in this particularly rate. . . is a raptor egg]

[fuhrinkaed]

[...raptors imprint when they hatch right? Right. Oky.]

[THIS IS A SNEAKING MISSION, AND THAT IS A BOX.]

[Let's hide in there and reseal the lid.]

[soulping]

[You slip into the box, and as soon as you come into contact with the winter clothing, you feel a rush of hardheaded, stubborn determination rush through you]

[Just try'n knock me down and see what happens!]

[do you touch the raptor egg or do you leave it where it is]

[fuhrinkaed]

[touch the egg.]

[soulping]

[enjoy your memory. it includes the confession but cuts off when Kaito and Aoko escape the raptors]

[the feeling of we did it, we made it out alive. . .! linger when the memory fades]

[fuhrinkaed]

[of course it took you until a raptor attack to get this done.]

[But I kinda remembered that so.]

[I guess now we wait in here for this box to get carted on board.]

[soulping]

[shut up it was totally romantic okok]

[it doesn't take long, and eventually Ed feels the entire crate shift as it's lifted and carried to the boat by one of the dock workers]

[don't hit your head on the crate walls as it moves, bro]

[fuhrinkaed]

[oh like I haven't dealt with constant head trauma for the entirety of my life.]

[But he does stay quiet, at least.]

[soulping]

[Eventually the crate stops moving. A few more minutes of silence pass, and then. . .]

[Your hear the blow of the whistle from the docks as Chikage calls out:]

Take sail! Have a safe journey! ♥

[and then the entire boat itself begins to move, though you can't see anything because. you're in a crate]

[fuhrinkaed]

[OK SAFE NOW. Let's bust out of this crate with AIR PRESSURE FROM WIND.]

[And then take a look around.]

[soulping]

[You escape your crate prison and step out onto the deck of the ship]

[The sails are unfurled from the mast; they catch the wind easily. The ship is already pretty far out into the water, too. . . you can barely see the docks anymore. It sure is bound for. . . wherever it's going! You can hear splashing from over the railing-- something is following you as you go]

[. . .]

[. . . you are the only person on the ship. The crates that were loaded onto the vessel earlier are strapped to the deck, so they don't shift around and move during the journey. The only area accessible other than the deck is the captain's quarters. Who is driving??]

[fuhrinkaed]

[Hard to say.]

Hey, Splashy Jr! Keep an eye out for anything that might be dangerous!

[But let's check on the captain's quarters.]

[soulping]

[There's another large splash, followed by a roar of assent, from the water. Splashy Jr is right there with you, bro]

[You enter the captain's quarters to find that it's more like a small armory, honestly. Cutlasses line the walls, and there sure is a barrel of dynamite sitting in one of the corners. The oddest weapon of them all, however, is the strange card gun hanging from a nail next to the door you just entered through. Why on Earth would a ship need so many weapons?]

[fuhrinkaed]

[It'd be weird if I didn't know Kaito. Let's touch the card gun.]

[actually let's touch everything.]

[soulping]

[every object in this armory imparts the same feeling]

[fight back fight back fight back]

[fuhrinkaed]

[...:|aaa UNSURE YET.]

[Let's go find the steering wheel.]

[soulping]

[Before you can do that. . .]

[Your explorations of the armory are suddenly interrupted by the sound of a cannon exploding outside, which is followed by the entire ship lurching, practically throwing you off balance. What was that??]

[fuhrinkaed]

[An idiot who has decided to pick a fight with a water mage on an ocean. LETS FLY OUT AND CHECK ON THAT.]

[soulping]

[You rush out of the captain's quarters to find that, although it's only been a few minutes for you, the Tiaboat is sailing on the open sea]

[It has also attracted the attention of another vessel]

[A black ship drifts in the water alongside you, a series of three ropes extending from its railing to the Tiaboat. Although there's a black jolly roger flying from the ship's mast, there. . . don't seem to be any pirates boarding your boat. You can, however, see a strange figure leaning against the helm, grinning at you sharply. It's a figure with long hair and a dress-- wait. . . short hair and glasses? No, a fedora and a mustache. No, no, a black figure with red eyes--]

[The longer you stare, the more the figure's shape seems to change and shift, unwilling to settle on a single form. But one thing is clear]

[One of the black ship's cannons is aimed right at you]

[fuhrinkaed]

[...]

[Pointing at the cannon, orange energy coalescing in his hand.]

I don't suppose we can just... talk this one out. Can we?

[soulping]

[There's a high-pitched laugh from figure, and the cannon explodes again in response]

[There is now a cannonball flying through the air right towards you]